Royal Institution Masterclasses 2025

Ri Engineering Masterclass

University of Warwick - 2025

Applications have now closed.

What are the Ri Engineering Masterclasses at Warwick?

Since 2013, WMG at the University of Warwick have invited students to attend engineering masterclasses in partnership with the Royal Institution. 2023 marked the 10 year anniversary of hosting these Masterclasses and we've no intention to stop now.

This Series aims to open the eyes of young people to the excitement, beauty and value of engineering, and in turn, inspire the next generation of scientists, mathematicians and engineers. The Series is delivered by staff and students from WMG. Each masterclass focuses on an aspect of modern engineering and is presented by an engineer actively involved in research or working in industry. The classes take the form of interactive workshop sessions.

What have we done in the sessions so far?

Crash Structures

We built crash structures to act as barriers that could absorb an impact, learning about momentum, mechanisms of failure, and impulse. We tested the structures in a giant drop tower that could drop a 15 kg steel plate through a full 2 metres, and it’s not very often that we spend hours making things only to immediately destroy them. The session ran in two cycles – design and build a prototype and then test it, learn from that, and make a final working version that would hopefully protect an egg. 4 of 6 eggs survived the impact.

The challenge to build crash structures on the board.
A structure after being tested.
Just before testing.
An inventive new way to absorb the impacts.
All the structures lined up for testing.
We used an accelerometer to measure the impact force. 7g was measured.
Another crash test.
All the structures at the end of the session - post testing.

When are the Masterclasses?

The dates for the RI Masterclasses 2025 Series are: Saturday mornings January 25th, February 1st, February 8th, March 1st, March 8th and March 15th. Please note there is a two week break over the February half term.

What will each Masterclass be about?

The sessions that have provisionally been organised for 2025 are listed below (note there may be some changes to the final plans):

Session Title	Led by	Date
*Crash Structures*	Dr Phil Jemmett	25/01/2025
*Robotic Vehicles*	Dr Phil Jemmett	01/02/2025
Mini-projects	Graduate Trainee Engineers	08/02/2025
*Materials Science*	Materials Science Researchers	01/03/2025
Stitch in Time	Prof. Margaret Low	08/03/2025
Mini-masterclass and celebration event (families welcome)	WMG Outreach	15/03/2025

Previous years:

Ri Engineering 2019Link opens in a new window

Ri Engineering 2018Link opens in a new window

Ri Engineering 2017Link opens in a new window

Register interest in the Engineering masterclasses through the form above or click here.

Other Royal Institution Masterclass streams at Warwick:

A person standing in front of a white board writing equations

This year there will also be Royal Institution Masterclasses in Maths and Data Science held at Warwick on the same dates as above. Click the link to the right to find out more about these streams.

Ri Mathematics Masterclasses at Warwick (Year 9).

Ri Data Science Masterclasses at Warwick (Year 10).

Ri Engineering Masterclass

Applications have now closed.

What are the Ri Engineering Masterclasses at Warwick?

What have we done in the sessions so far?

Crash Structures

The challenge to build crash structures on the board.

A structure after being tested.

Just before testing.

An inventive new way to absorb the impacts.

All the structures lined up for testing.

We used an accelerometer to measure the impact force. 7g was measured.

Another crash test.

All the structures at the end of the session - post testing.

When are the Masterclasses?

What will each Masterclass be about?

Session Title

Led by

Date

Other Royal Institution Masterclass streams at Warwick: